Human barrier prevents suicide attempt

The drama began at 1.30pm on Thursday when the favourite beauty spot was busy and the beach below full of children and parents.

The onlookers kept the man on the cliff until police arrived.

Traffic officer PC McCartney was able to calm the man and talk him out of his suicide bid by suggesting his leap from the top with his buggy may injure or kill children on the beach below.

The man was taken to the police station where he was seen by a doctor and appropriate authorities informed.

Inspector Max Mosley told the Observer: "This was a very tragic situation. The elderly man was depressed, disabled and in constant pain and on a huge amount of pain-killers.

"He lived alone, had no family apart from a distant relative abroad, and did not want to carry on."

Insp Mosley said the final straw came when the man was asked to pay a substantial amount towards maintenance of his leasehold flat - money he did not have.

The man told police he had had a long life, was in considerable discomfort and saw no reason to live.

"He was a perfectly respectable gentleman who said he had a right to decided for himself whether he lived or died," he added.

"People on the cliff had stretched out their arms to prevent the man driving over the edge until we arrived.

"The whole situation was quite distressing for all concerned," he added.

"Bexhill is one of the best places for an elderly support network. May be he just slipped through the net.

"This was obviously a call for help, which hopefully we were able to answer."